Marine Corps Stories: Belly Crawl

The uniforms looked neatly pressed and the Corfams shined. Stripes on arms and shiny stuff on shoulders gleamed just as well. The Delaware court room in Dover, Delaware saw the court martial.

“So, you were on both sides?”

“That’s right.”

“You enlisted into the Marine Corps and made your way to the frontlines with the infantry,” Marine Captain Joplin Goors pointed out.

“That’s right, sir,” Lance Corporal Torey Halstead replied.

“You found yourself in a firefight,” Goors continued.

“Yes.”

“Then you did a belly crawl from your side to the enemy’s, right?” Goors asked.

“That’s right.”

“Why?”

“This was my way of expressing my agnosticism, sir. We can’t be all good or bad. There’s room for both sides to flourish and flounder. I don’t know the history or chemical makeup of my M16 but I knew I could lay down people on both sides.”

“No more questions,” Captain Goors announced.

Captain Angelica Purston then called for the next witness. The judge, Colonel Jacoby Frist allowed for her to call her witness.

“I call staff sergeant Malik Wilbon.” He walked to the witness stand, took the oath, and sat down.

“Staff sergeant, you saw first hand what Lance Corporal Halstead just explained. Is that true?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“How did Halstead make it back to base?”

“We wanted to get him here. We just detained him, kept him from getting hurt. We wanted to make sure he would see a courtroom for what he did.”

“Thank you, Staff Sergeant,” Captain Purston said. She then stepped from around the table and showed on a chart the firefight that occurred.

“Ladies and gentlemen of the court, if you view this diagram and watch video of this vicious act of cowardice, you will see that Lance Corporal Halstead deliberately opened fire on his fellow Marines. That he shot from a position to ensure that his guys and gals were left in danger. Then, as if by miracle, he switched and took out eleven combatants. He shielded his Marines with cover fire and kept the battle going until all of them were clear. Now, should Lance Corporal Halstead be awarded the Navy Cross or be given twenty years in the brig?”

The audience was full of blue, green, and black uniforms. The severe looks on their faces did not seem to be shaken by the bewildering facts presented before them. The jury were rock faced and showed no emotion in their deportment.

Captain Goors had his own set of materials and evidence to present to the court.

“Your Honor, Lance Corporal Halstead did what he did because he is an agnostic. Even in the Bible, Jesus reminds us to love our enemy…twice: Matthew 5:44 and Luke 6:27. The lance corporal does not believe in the Bible but he also doesn’t think that the enemy should have an advantage either. He did not injure or kill any of his Marines or Corpsman Cantrell. He simply acted as a combatant. The US servicemen all were kind of dumbstruck for witnessing this act. Then they saw him crawl back to his side and eliminate the threat. They didn’t know whether to thrash him or thank him. We know that he was detained immediately after the ambush. They just removed his rifle and zip tied his hands. That ride back to the inside of the wire was said to be the most awkward and alternately angry rides back to base.

“What I’m asking is that you have a thought about what agnosticism really means. It is the balance of two sides. It is an evening out. That is why Lance Corporal Halstead did what he did. Please remember when you have dual thoughts. Remember that when you see him and his system of beliefs. That’s all, your Honor.”